THE IDENTITY CONFUSION OF ARNOLD SPIRIT JR. AS A MINORITY ADOLESCENT DEPICTED IN ALEXIE’S THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN: A PSYCHOSOCIAL ANALYSIS

This research aims to reveal the factors which cause identity confusion of the main character of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on the fifth stage of psychosocial development. To answer the objective, this research employs the psychosocial theory by Erikson. This research applied a qualitative research method. The source of the data of this research was taken from Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The data of the research were in the form of words, phrase, clause, sentences, having correlation with identity confusion factors of the main character, Arnold Spirit Jr.. The researcher became the primary instrument of this research, while the secondary instruments were the data sheets. The research analysis was conducted through five steps: reading and re-reading, classifying and categorizing, interpreting and scrutinizing the meaning of the data, checking the measure of worthiness by triangulation, and making conclusions based on the results of the analysis. The researcher finds that on the fifth stage of psychosocial development, the main character is experiencing identity confusion. The researcher, based on Erikson psychosocial development theory i.e. Identity vs Identity Confusion reveals that there are three factors which causes the main character to face identity confusion: discouraging family, discriminative school peers and teachers, and abusive neighborhood. Those three factors affect his personality in his quest of identity for it can be seen that the main character feeling rejected and feeling lost about where he belongs

Insurers Use Banks for Portfolio Diversification

Insurance companies hold a significant share of the financial sector's long-term bond debt ("finance bonds"). Yet, little is known about the determinants of insurers' investment in finance bonds. Using detailed regulatory data on US insurers, I document that small insurers invest disproportionately in finance bonds. As insurers grow, they extend their portfolios to other industries and eventually underweight finance bonds relative to the market. Exploiting a regulatory reform in 2017 that extended insurers' access to bond exchange-traded funds, I show that finance bonds became less attractive to small insurers. This suggests that finance bonds are an implicit means of diversification, especially for small insurers. I develop a model that rationalizes these observations as the outcome of insurers' portfolio diversification subject to transaction-cost minimization. The model predictions are borne out in the data, supporting the hypothesis that insurers view finance bonds as a diversification tool

Essays in Financial Economics

This dissertation examines the role of insurance companies in financial markets and their implications for financial stability and monetary policy transmission. Insurance companies, which are among the largest financial intermediaries, directly connect households and financial markets through their investments in bonds, stocks, and other assets, exposing them to financial risks and creating potential contagion channels during crises. The three self-contained essays in this dissertation address key aspects of insurers' interactions with financial markets. The first chapter explores insurers' interlinkage with other financial institutions created by insurers' bond investments, yielding evidence that insurers value financial institutions' role in diversifying idiosyncratic risks. The second chapter, joint work with Christian Kubitza and Jakob Ahm Sørensen, investigates how monetary policy impacts insurance markets and, subsequently, housing and mortgage markets, revealing a novel transmission channel through price adjustments driven by regulatory frictions. The third chapter, joint work with Marcel Brambeer, analyzes how institutional investors' corporate bond demand spills over to loan markets, emphasizing the role of investor composition in shaping firms' funding responses to monetary policy. Together, these studies provide insights into insurers' pivotal role in financial systems and their impact on economic outcomes

Immigration and Naturalization

Immigration law has always been interesting and controversial. Yet in 2018, it became disproportionately so. Law and policymakers identified issues such as unlawful migration, the border between the United States and Mexico, Muslim immigration, and even high-skilled worker visas as critical election issues in anticipation of the 2018 midterm election. Additionally, the current U.S. Executive Branch has taken a hardline approach to immigration, pursuing opportunities to limit, rather than expand, access by non-citizens to U.S. opportunities. As a prime policy example, the fact that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), that is responsible for processing immigration and naturalization applications and establishing policies regarding immigration services, changed its mission statement from America\u27s promise as a nation of immigrants to protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values gives us a perspective of the scope of the transformation. From the Trump-era immigration policy changes that include family separations, to indefinite detention with no right to bond hearings, to the horrors of denying asylum to victims of domestic violence, to forcefully outing same sex partners of diplomats, we will review some of the new American immigration reality

Sexual Functioning Among Endometrial Cancer Patients Treated With Adjuvant High-Dose-Rate Intra-Vaginal Radiation Therapy

Purpose—We used the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) to investigate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and factors associated with diminished sexual functioning in early stage endometrial cancer (EC) patients treated with simple hysterectomy and adjuvant brachytherapy. Methods and Materials—A cohort of 104 patients followed in a radiation oncology clinic completed questionnaires to quantify current levels of sexual functioning. The time interval between hysterectomy and questionnaire completion ranged from 5 years. Multivariate regression was performed using the FSFI as a continuous variable (score range, 1.2–35.4). SD was defined as an FSFI score of <26, based on the published validation study. Results—SD was reported by 81% of respondents. The mean (±standard deviation) domain scores in order of highest-to-lowest functioning were: satisfaction, 2.9 (±2.0); orgasm, 2.5 (±2.4); desire, 2.4 (±1.3); arousal, 2.2 (±2.0); dryness, 2.1 (±2.1); and pain, 1.9 (±2.3). Compared to the index population in which the FSFI cut-score was validated (healthy women ages 18–74), all scores were low. Compared to published scores of a postmenopausal population, scores were not statistically different. Multivariate analysis isolated factors associated with lower FSFI scores, including having laparotomy as opposed to minimally invasive surgery (effect size, −7.1 points; 95% CI, −11.2 to −3.1; P<.001), lack of vaginal lubricant use (effect size, −4.4 points; 95% CI, −8.7 to −0.2, P = .040), and short time interval (<6 months) from hysterectomy to questionnaire completion (effect size, −4.6 points; 95% CI, −9.3–0.2; P = .059). Conclusions—The rate of SD, as defined by an FSFI score <26, was prevalent. The postmenopausal status of EC patients alone is a known risk factor for SD. Additional factors associated with poor sexual functioning following treatment for EC included receipt of laparotomy and lack of vaginal lubricant use